WATCH AND LEARN: Jason Pierre-Paul has been limited during training camp as the Giants defensive lineman recovers from offseason back surgery.Ron Antonelli (2)

Jason Pierre-Paul (Ron Antonelli )

It’s already known Jason Pierre-Paul has the potential to be one of the best defensive linemen in the NFL. But is he dependable and durable enough?

It became a question yesterday when Giants general manager Jerry Reese said on WFAN the Giants expect Pierre-Paul “hopefully” to be ready for the opener. Speaking later in the day, Pierre-Paul seemed lukewarm on that idea.

“I’m not in a rush to come back,” said the star defensive lineman who is recovering from offseason back surgery.

Pierre-Paul swatting away his chances of being ready for the opener is the first sign he and the Giants might be on a different page in terms of his recovery. The Giants clearly want him back for the Cowboys. Pierre-Paul appears to be in no hurry.

“It’s basically about how my back feels,” he said. “I’m still at that stage where I know I can’t go out there and perform. I’m not going to try to rush back. It will all depend on how my recovery is coming along and right now my recovery is coming along perfectly fine.”

A player has the right to be cautious. It’s his body and his career. But issues occur when a team thinks a player is ready to return and the player doesn’t agree. Pierre-Paul made it clear yesterday it would be his call.

“I don’t know when my return will be,” he said. “At the end of the day I’m going to go out there when I feel comfortable.”

Money could be an issue. Pierre-Paul is scheduled to earn $2.6 million in salary and bonuses this year. He becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2016. He doesn’t want to be viewed as damaged goods in three years.

Still, this could be a crucial year in determining whether he’s someone to keep long-term. His 17 sacks during the Super Bowl season was followed by just seven last year. In his fourth season, the former first-round pick from South Florida must prove he can bounce back from a disappointing season and back surgery.

There’s no history of JPP battling through injuries and surgeries the way there is for Justin Tuck and Mathias Kiwanuka, who have been there for their team on Sundays. They’ve proven to be dependable and durable. When the organization says they’ll be ready, they’re usually ready.

Yesterday, Pierre-Paul sounded like a man who is no rush to fulfill Reese’s expectations. He sounded more like a man ready to let his teammates handle the Cowboys.

Asked if was important to him to be ready for the opener, Pierre-Paul said without hesitation: “No, it’s not important to me at all. I already know the D-line we have here is going out and [will] get the job done. I’m very confident that Kiwi, Tuck and all the boys will get the job done. They don’t really need me out there right now, so I’m just going to focus on my recovery.”

The Giants have no complaints thus far. Pierre-Paul had his back surgery on June 4 with the normal recovery period being three months. He did running drills on the side as his teammates went through a full practice yesterday. He isn’t expected to do much beyond that the next few days.

“He’s done exactly what he’s been asked to do and I’d say he’s making good progress,” head coach Tom Coughlin said.

The Giants will wait on JPP to get healthy. Tuck and Kiwanuka are working as the first-team defensive ends while Damontre Moore, the third-round pick from Texas A&M, third-year player Adrian Tracy and Justin Trattou, a third-year player from Florida, raise eyebrows.

“We’ve had some good work out of quite a few of those guys,” Coughlin said.

Nevertheless, with Osi Umenyiora in Atlanta, the Giants need Pierre-Paul to become a dependable, durable veteran. We’ll find out if he fits the mold this season.